Offshore wind could meet 35% of the UK’s electricity demand by 2030

As a part of the ongoing Offshore Wind Week, a report released by Offshore Wind Vision states that offshore wind has become the most productive of all the renewable technologies and it could meet 35% of the UK’s electricity demand by 2030.

As per the report, the UK offshore wind industry has been booming with more than £9.5 billion invested since 2010. It is expected that the investment would increase to £30.5 billion by 2020.

Benj Sykes, vice president at Dong Offshore Wind Power and co-chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council said “It is only 15 years since the first UK offshore wind farm - just two 2 megawatt turbines began operating. Since then the technology has matured rapidly to the point where the UK leads the world in deployment and could readily build 30 gigawatts of capacity by 2030.”

“The industry has shown it can deliver these large energy infrastructure projects to time and budget, but continued momentum is important to build investor confidence. Costs are falling rapidly thanks to investment in new technology and increased competition.

“What we need to see is a clear pathway for offshore wind through to 2025. This will provide the UK with the best opportunity for cost effective decarbonisation and ensure that we maximise the export opportunity for the UK supply chain,” he added.

Moreover, the UK offshore wind sector currently provides employment for about 13,000 people and this figure could rise up to 50,000 by 2030.